A Different Kind of Friendship
by Oxymoronic Alliteration
Summary: A look at the friendship of Tim and Tony from both their points-of-view. Purchased by Tamara during the NFA Haiti Relief Auction. She requested a "Tim and Tony friendship, first time from Tony's POV and the other time from Tim's POV."
1. Tony's POV

If someone had told me ten years ago that I would count an egghead computer geek among my friends, I'd have said they were full of it, that they obviously didn't know me. It's not that I'm a snob or anything, I just had never wanted to keep company with anyone other than guys like me; jocks and frat boys and the such. If I were being honest with myself, I'd say that part of it is that I don't like being outdone and that being around braniacs can often times make me feel inferior. But I prefer not to be honest with myself, so I'll just say I didn't want to tarnish my image with the ladies by befriending people of the geekish nature.

Then I met McGee.

I still remember arriving at that crime scene and seeing the kid. He was obviously a newbie, someone who'd never actually experience that sort of thing before (not that I'd seen too many bodies shoved into barrels of acid and almost completely eroded). I'd done my duty as a full-fledged senior agent; tricking him into staying all night, poking fun at him, making sure he knew his place on the totem pole. His getting that tat on his ass surprised me, admittedly; I hadn't though he had the guts. But I guess that's one thing you can really say about McGee. When he wants something, he does whatever it takes to get it.

Growing up, I never had any siblings to keep me company. I didn't even have any close cousins. I was always jealous when I saw my friends' little brothers trailing behind us, begging us to take them along, to include them. Those guys took it for granted, but I wanted nothing more than to have a younger brother who would look up to me that way (while I, of course, teased him mercilessly and pretended I didn't want anything to do with him).

So I took the kid under my wing. Oh sure, from the outside it may not look like it, but imagine if we were about twenty years younger. It'd look like nothing more than a typical big brother-little brother relationship, right? I mean, amid all of the taunts, the head slaps, and childish pranks, I'm there for him when it really counts. Who else showed up at his apartment that night after her shot Benedict to cheer him up? I confided one of my most embarrassing secrets in him, something that no one else at NCIS knows, not even Gibbs. And all for the sake of being a good friend.

I'm not perfect; I don't pretend to be. I admit I sometimes take the kid for granted, sometimes take things too far, but McGee's never walked away from this friendship (though he's threatened to a few times), so he obviously doesn't mind it too much. Because I bring something to the plate too; I showed him the ropes, I protected him when he needed it, and I pushed him to become the best agent he could (though some may not have appreciated my methods). If I hadn't cared about him at all, hadn't seen in him even the smallest bit of potential, I wouldn't have even bothered, wouldn't have invested the time and effort into him that I did. I would have just left well enough alone and waited until he inevitably quit or was let go.

Besides, McGee's good for things, and I don't just mean when it comes to doing all of that computer stuff, either (though that's probably his best use). He's got a good eye for details, has a great memory, and he did save my life once (not that I wouldn't have climbed over the ledge in that parking garage eventually, of course, but having him get there to help me meant I didn't have to exert as much energy). I'll admit he gives more than he gets. He's also very trusting and very eager to please, two traits I've been known to take advantage of.

Our friendship (if you'd call it that) is a strange one. He's not like my frat brothers, the kind of guy I'd go on Spring Break with or who I'd call on to go clubbing on a slow night. Usually when we hang out after work hours we're with the others—Ziva, Abby, sometimes Ducky and Palmer. It's mostly bar visits and potluck dinners at someone's house. He's not the kind of guy you can grab a few beers with while you watch the game or the kind who's going to swap sexploits with you. He's just the kind of guy who'll grab a cup of coffee with you after a long day and who'll let you vent when you need to.

Maybe it's weird, but I think I like this kind of friendship more.


	2. Tim's POV

It's been seven years and I still don't quite understand how it happened. We're pretty much polar opposites. I'm brain, liking things to be logical and methodical, and working with properly set plans; he's brawn, preferring things to be quick-paced and action-packed, and flying by the seat of his pants. My idea of a good night is putting on some jazz and enjoying a glass of wine while I work on my next book while he prefers to go out to loud, packed clubs and knock back beers while flirting with every skirt he can find. Sometimes I think that the only thing we have in common is that we want to put away dirtbags.

But that's not such a bad thing to have in common, is it?

Since the day I met him Tony has asserted himself over me as the alpha male. From tricking me into staying at a rancid crime scene all night to more than a few messy mishaps involving super glue, Tony's made it clear where he considers my place to be. Though, through the years I've managed to get mine in there now and then, usually catching him off guard. Like that tattoo I got. I know he never thought I'd have the guts to go through with it and seeing that look on his face was worth the pain it took to get it. He never tried to keep me from getting with Abby again, either. That's one thing I've noticed about Tony; if you prove you really want something, he won't stand in your way.

I've always been used to the relationship between older and younger siblings. There's a good eight year gap between me and my sister and I took on the role of older brother with great aplomb. She would follow me around, trying to be included in the things I did and I would ignore her with a cool confidence, pretending like she was a pest that I didn't want around (and sometimes she was). The truth was, there was a sort of power you got from being an older sibling.

That may be why working with Tony was such a big shock to me. I was so accustomed to being the older sibling, but now he had taken over that role, making me the annoying younger sibling who just wanted approval. His antics and pranks bugged me, of course, but if I were being honest with myself I'd admit that they weren't that much different than some of the things I'd done to Sarah when we were younger. I certainly can't fault Tony for being the same kind of older brother I'd been. Besides, he's played the older brother on both ends of the spectrum. I mean, he's there for me when I really need him.

That's not to say we have the perfect friendship; we're the same as any sibling pair. We argue, exchange insults, take cheap shots when we're really angry. I guess I take some things too seriously. But that doesn't mean we don't both value the friendship; I do, and I think Tony does too. I think he knows I'm helpful, even if he would never admit it. I've helped him in the past, and I don't just mean getting him tickets to closed concerts and working on his computer gratis. I've covered for him when I thought he really needed it, let him vent when something really had him steamed, and I like to think that through the tough times he considered me a means of support. I didn't have to do that for him, but I did. Because he's a friend and that's what friends do.

And Tony isn't without his merits. He _did_ come over to cheer me up during that whole Benedict thing. Sure, he went about cheering me up the wrong way, but his heart was obviously in the right place. Also, when I went down to visit Kate in autopsy, he showed up, ready to give me the strength to say my goodbyes. He may not be the best listener, but when he does listen, he knows what he's talking about Plus, despite my moans and groans, I don't really dislike his constant movie references; he makes me laugh, makes the most depressing situations bearable.

I'd be the first to admit that Tony sometimes annoys me to no end, that our relationship seems a bit malicious. He's not like the guys I've befriended in the past. We don't talk about comic books or the latest _Star Trek_ movie. Sure, we'll hang out now and then (usually with the others) and yeah I've gone to his apartment a couple of times to watch movies and talk, but are we going to go out to try and pick up girls together? Probably not. But we have our own kind of friendship, one that doesn't require us to have so much in common in order to appreciate each other.

Strange, I know, but I prefer this kind of friendship more.


End file.
